THE ECONOMIST: The failure of the drug war has led a few of its braver generals, especially from Europe and Latin America, to suggest shifting the focus from locking up people to public health and “harm reduction” (such as encouraging addicts to use clean needles). This approach would put more emphasis on public education and the treatment of addicts, and less on the harassment of peasants who grow coca and the punishment of consumers of “soft” drugs for personal use. That would be a step in the right direction. But it is unlikely to be adequately funded, and it does […]
STAY GOLDEN PONY BOY: New Polls Say Obama More Popular Than Ever, Republicans Not So Much
MSNBC: After Barack Obama’s first six weeks as president, the American public’s attitudes about the two political parties couldn’t be more different, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds. Despite the country’s struggling economy and vocal opposition to some of his policies, President Obama’s favorability rating is at an all-time high. Two-thirds feel hopeful about his leadership and six in 10 approve of the job he’s doing in the White House. “What is amazing here is how much political capital Obama has spent in the first six weeks,” said Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this survey with […]
TONITE: Cartwheel And Handstand Practice
Because it’s later than you think.
PAPERBOY: ‘Beer The Drum Slowly’ Edition
BY DAVE ALLEN Like time, news waits for no man. Keeping up with the funny papers has always been an all-day job, even in the pre-Internets era. These days, however, it’s a two-man job. That’s right, these days you need someone to do your reading for you, or risk falling hopelessly behind and, as a result, increasing your chances of dying lonely and somewhat bitter. That’s why every week, PAPERBOY does your alt-weekly reading for you. We pore over those time-consuming cover stories and give you the takeaway, suss out the cover art, warn you off the ink-wasters and steer […]
WALTZ WITH AL-BASHIR: Sudan Defies War Crimes Arrest Warrant From The International Criminal Court
[Illustration by TAMER YOUSSEF] INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: One day after judges at the International Criminal Court ordered his arrest for atrocities committed in Darfur, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan offered a fiery and defiant response on Thursday, telling a crowd of thousands in his own country that “we are not succumbing, we are not bending” to outside pressure. Jabbing the air with a walking stick and flanked by aides and bodyguards, Bashir called the court’s decision a conspiracy designed to recolonize his country. “Sudan is raising its voice. It rejects the hegemony, the colonialists,” he declared. Referring to the […]
I, GAMER: A Bit Of the Old Ultra Violence
EDITOR’S NOTE: I am old enough to have witnessed the birth of Pong and sorta lost the plot sometime around Defender, but I realize that lots and lots of young folk spend hours and hours playing games. Hours that could be spent reading Phawker. Now there’s a way you can do both. Introducing our brand spanking new game column, I GAMER, penned by intern-to-the-stars Adam Bonanni. Adam is 21 and attends Temple University. BY ADAM BONANNI Light gun-style arcade games, named for their unique gun controllers that shoot beams of IR light, are pure fun mayhem. There’s nothing deep or […]
PLOT THICKENS: Philadelphia Newspapers Wants To Investigate Who Bugged Meeting With Lenders
INQUIRER: Philadelphia Newspapers L.L.C. has asked a U.S. bankruptcy court for permission to hire special counsel to investigate what it described as the “unauthorized recording” of a confidential meeting between the company and its senior lenders, according to a filing Friday. The document filed by the owner of The Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News and Philly.com did not identify the party that allegedly made the recording. Brian P. Tierney, chief executive of Philadelphia Newspapers, found a digital voice recorder under some papers on a table where the company met with creditors, two sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity […]
We Know It’s Only Mock N’ Roll But We Like It
WIRED: For a self-described “semi-retired” legend, Christopher Guest sure has a crazy schedule. The writer, director, actor and musician, most famous for his portrayal of knob-twiddling metalhead Nigel Tufnel in the 1984 cinematic spoof This Is Spinal Tap, is preparing for Spinal Tap reunion tours to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movie’s release. He’s also been busy in the studio, emerging with six or seven new Tap tunes beneath his belt as well as an instrumental chill-out effort called Memories of Summers as a Child, released last month, which Guest recorded with childhood pals David Nichtern and CJ Vanston […]
OPERATION RUSHBO: Culture Jamming The Right
POLITICO: Top Democrats believe they have struck political gold by depicting Rush Limbaugh as the new face of the Republican Party, a full-scale effort first hatched by some of the most familiar names in politics and now being guided in part from inside the White House. The strategy took shape after Democratic strategists Stanley Greenberg and James Carville included Limbaugh’s name in an October poll and learned their longtime tormentor was deeply unpopular with many Americans, especially younger voters. Then the conservative talk-radio host emerged as an unapologetic critic of Barack Obama shortly before his inauguration, when even many Republicans […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR Bible scholar Bart Ehrman says that the Gospels are at odds with each other on important points regarding the life, death and divinity of Jesus. In his new book, Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don’t Know About Them) Ehrman examines how these contradictions affect our understanding of the historical Jesus — and of the authors of the Gospels. Ehrman is a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the author of more than a dozen books, including Misquoting Jesus and God’s Problem. JOHN POWERS: Near the end […]
THAT’S KLANTASTIC: Another Public Official Forced To Resign After Emailing A Racist Obama Cartoon
STATEN ISLAND LIVE: Several people have asked him to stop. But as of today, Salvatore Ballarino [pictured, below] was still forwarding e-mails of jokes that make him chuckle — and that, at times, make others feel very uncomfortable. “I just sent six or seven out today,” he said. “If I get an e-mail and I think it’s funny, I’m going to send it out.” Many people are questioning Ballarino’s judgment after the member of the all-volunteer Community Education Council District 31 forwarded an e-mail that has put Staten Island’s African American community into a fury. The e-mail, a mock photo […]
HEAR YE: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
Now playing on Phawker Radio! At the Barbary May 6th! “…pitch-perfect noise pop, sounding like it’s 1991 all over again. Impenetrable fuzz and fey mannerisms? Check. Superchunk-like melody? You got it. Can’t miss.” – Dusted “…just screams for continuous replay, as the catchy boy/girl harmonies wonderfully gel with the jangly, distorted guitars that echoes early My Bloody Valentine and Black Tambourine.” – Yellow Stereo “If dreamy, ’80s-sounding indie pop is your thing, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart have your number in a big way.” – Time Out NY *** RICHARD NIXON: Does NOT Like Faggy Dope Movies YOUTUBE: […]